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Iran FM Accuses Pentagon of Lies on War Costs, Claims US Spent $100 Billion
🇴🇲 Oman /Conflict & Security

Iran FM Accuses Pentagon of Lies on War Costs, Claims US Spent $100 Billion

From Times of Oman · (9m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Iran's Foreign Minister accused the Pentagon of lying about the costs of the war in Iran, stating the US has spent $100 billion.
  • He criticized the Pentagon's figures as a distortion and claimed indirect costs for American taxpayers are much higher.
  • Iran's Parliament Speaker also mocked the US military, comparing Iran's extensive borders to hypothetical US walls to highlight the difficulty of a blockade.

From Tehran, the accusations leveled by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi against the Pentagon highlight a deep-seated mistrust of American pronouncements regarding regional conflicts. The minister's assertion that the US has spent $100 billion on the war in Iran, a figure significantly higher than the Pentagon's claim, underscores Iran's narrative of American overreach and financial mismanagement in its foreign policy.

The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed. Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast. Israel First always means America Last.

— Abbas AraghchiIran's Foreign Minister's statement on X accusing the Pentagon of distorting war costs.

The framing of the conflict as 'Netanyahu's gamble' directly implicates Israel, aligning with Iran's consistent geopolitical stance. The minister's X post, emphasizing that 'Israel First always means America Last,' encapsulates a core tenet of Iranian foreign policy: that American actions in the region primarily serve Israeli interests at the expense of the United States itself. This perspective resonates strongly within Iran, where the US is often viewed as a subservient partner to Israeli objectives.

If you build two walls, one from NYC to the West Coast and another from LA to the East Coast, the total length will be 7,755 km, which is still about 1,000 km short of Iran's total borders. Good luck blockading a country with those borders. P.S. For Pete Hegseth: 1 km = 0.62 mi

— MB GhalibafIran's Parliament Speaker's sarcastic comparison of US and Iranian borders to question blockade feasibility.

Furthermore, the intervention by Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf, who sarcastically compared Iran's vast borders to hypothetical US walls to question the feasibility of a blockade, adds another layer to Iran's defiant posture. This rhetorical jab, particularly directed at US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, serves to bolster domestic confidence and project an image of national resilience. It frames the conflict not just as a military or economic struggle, but as a test of strategic wit and national resolve, where Iran can leverage its geography and perceived strategic advantages against American military might.

The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of Congressional Democrats and some Republicans

— Pete HegsethUS Secretary of War's criticism of Congressional members during a clash over war costs.
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Originally published by Times of Oman in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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